Dental Articulator

Abstract

A dental articulator is provided in which at least one of the two arms thereof has a base member that is articulated with respect to a bracket element onto which a dental model may be mounted, allowing independent movement of the dental model with respect to the pivot axis hingedly linking the arms.

Description

[0001]This application claims the benefit of prior U.S. provisional patent application No. 61 / 193,867 filed Dec. 31, 2008, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates to dental articulators.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Dental articulators are well-known tools used by dental practitioners and technicians with dental models, in general for producing, developing or testing dental prostheses or dentures. Articulators are generally meant to provide a relative spatial relationship between the upper and lower jaws, often providing the user with valuable occlusal information, and are hinged to enable the upper and lower dental models to rotate with respect to one another, in a manner that may be analogous to that of a real jaw.[0004]Simple dental articulators allow relative movement between the upper and lower dental models with one degree of freedom only, about the hinge axis, and often the dental model...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is a dental articulator that allows for the mounting and positioning of dental models in a stable and repeatable way. The articulator comprises a first arm and a second arm hingedly joined together, with a mount for mounting the dental model. The mount has a first and second mount part that can move relative to each other in at least two degrees of freedom. The mount also has a bracket member and a base member that can move relative to each other in a datum alignment position. The mount is designed to provide a stable and repeatable relative positioning of the dental model. The articulator also includes a model mounting arrangement for reversibly mounting the dental model to the bracket member. The technical effects of the invention include improved accuracy and stability in dental procedures and reduced risk of injury to dental professionals.

Problems solved by technology

Simple dental articulators allow relative movement between the upper and lower dental models with one degree of freedom only, about the hinge axis, and often the dental models, which are typically made from plaster, are connected to the articulator in a manner that may cause damage to the models when removed therefrom.

Extremely complex articulators are also known, which can imitate the occlusal and masticatory movement of a particular patient, but operation of such articulators is complex and may require specialist training.

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